Cornelius w



(No Model.)

C. W. BENI-IAM.

FEEDER EUR THRASHNG'MACHIES.

mi qu III v l- Q 1 A y A 4 l Mura/ d M1 n@ i y ttorney Unrrnb drames Partnr Ottieni.,

`CORNELIUS WV. BENHAM, OF ENTERPRISMgKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VILLIAM E. FANSON, OF SAME PLACE.

FEEDER FOR THRASHING=VIACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 335,988, dated February 9, 1886. Application led October 24, 1885. 4Serial No. 180,816. (No model.)

To LZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS W. BENHAM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Enterprise, in the county of Dickinson and State oi'Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeders for Thrashing- Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others IO skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front end of a thrashingmachine to which my improved feed mechanismhas been applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View ofthe saine, and Fig. 3 is avertical transverse sectional view of the same.

The same letters refer to the saine parts in all the iigures.

This invention relates to feeding devices for thrashing-machines; and it has for its object to provide a device of this class which shall be sim ple and inexpensive in construction, efticient in operation, and which may be readily applied or adapted to thrashing-machines of any ordinary well-known construction, so as to dispense with the necessity of attendants to feed the grain under the cylinder of the machine.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts,which will be 5 hereinafter fully described, and. particularly pointed out in the claims. 1

In the drawings hereto annexed, A designates a hood or casing, which is mounted upon the front end of the thrashingmachine,

over the inclined feed-board T and cylinderl U of the same, and the sides of which are provided above the feed-board with boxes or bearings for the ends of a transverse shaft, B, one of the projecting ends of which is provided with a pulley or band-wheel, O, through which it may receive motion by means oi' an ordinary belt or band from a pulley upon the end of the cylindershaft of the machine. The top of the hood or casing is so constructed as to 5o give ample room for the operation of a series of cranks, D D, formed upon the shaft B The under side of the cover E of the hood or casing Ais` provided near its rear end., and nearly over the cylinder U, with downwardly-extendinglugs or ears F F, between which blocks or boxes G G are hinged or pivoted upon transverse pins H H. The said blocks or boxes are provided with longitudinal perforations I,

for the passage of the longitudinallysliding rods J J, the front ends of which are provided 6o with forks K, the tines of which are turned downwardly, as shown, and the rear ends project through the vertical slots S in the rear wall of the hood. The rods or handles J are provided with boxes or blocks L, suitably bolted or otherwise attached thereto and journaled in the rear of the forks upon the cranks D of the shaft B. It will be seen that by the operation ot' the said shaft in theproper direction the forks will be moved upwardly, for- 7o wardly,downwardly,and rearwardly, by which motion they are caused to take the grain, which is supplied to the said forks as will be presently described, and feed it to the cylinder of the thrashing-machine. 5

Secured between the sides of the hood or casing A, some distance below and in rear of the crank-shaft B, above the feed-board T, is a downwardly and rearwardly inclined deiiecting-board M, which serves to prevent the 8o grain from becoming entangled with the crankshaft or with the forks, and also to guide it toward the cylinder of the thrashing-machine and underneath the same.

N designates a rectangular frame, the upper end of which is suitably hinged or otherwise attached to the frame of the thrashing-ma chine, near the front end ofthe same, and the .lower end of which may be provided with suitable supports, whereby it shall be slightly 9o raised above the ground. Said frame is provided at or near its upper and lower ends with bearings for a pai r of transverse shafts, O O, over which runs an endless apron, Q, provided with cross-slats R, and to which motion may be imparted through the pulley P in any suitable manner from the drivinggear of the thrashingmachine.`

The operation of this invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, Ioo taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, without requiring any extended explanation. The grain which is to be fed to the thrashingmachine is placed upon the endless apron Q, which conveys it up to the throat ofthe thrashing-machine, and dumps it upon the feed-board of the latter. At this point the grain is caught by the forks K, which serve to rake it under the delecting-board M toward the cylinder, land. force it under the same. The grain will in this manner be fed evenly and steadily, and Without danger of choking, while the severe and dangerous labor of one or more hands for feeding the machine may be wholly dispensed with.

I am aware that it is not new to construct feeding devices for thrashing-machines, con sisting of a series of forks or hooks operated by means of a crankshaft, and I do not claim lsuch construction broadly, but

I claini and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- '1. The combination of the thrashing-cylinder, an inclined feedboard, a hood, the rear portion of which has vertical slots, a crankshaft journaled in the hood over the feedboard, downwardly-extending lugs secured inside'of said hood, nearly over the cylinder,

and tubular blocks pivoted in said lugs, and rods carrying forks K at their front ends and secured to said crank-shaft near one end, and with their rear portions passing through said -blocks and vertical slots, as shown and dewardly and rearwardly inclined defiecting-v board secured within said hood belour and in the rear of said crankshaft, as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CORNELIUS W. BENHAM- Witnesses: i 

